When a musician's gifts and a congregation's needs are deeply aligned with one another - that's when Music Ministry happens. And sometimes we need a little help getting there...

coaching

Many church musicians come to their work without a lot of experience navigating the complexities of congregational life, or relationships with clergy, or both! I love investing in the long-term health of a music ministry by helping musicians explore their gifts for collaborative leadership and their pastoral identity (both of which are essential, and neither of which are covered in *any* music school!). This is even more important if the musician doesn't have previous experience with the faith tradition they've been hired into - what is their congregation's theological identity, and how do we help them become who they say they are through music's ministry? Monthly meetings or quarterly check-ins are great ways to draw from outside perspective and experience.

I'm also happy to offer coaching to clergy who are looking for ways to grow their relationship with their musician, or with staff teams seeking to deepen their collaborative partnerships.

Search committees

The search for new music leadership is an exciting time in the life of a congregation, and not without its challenges. So often search committees get bogged down in the wrong questions, and worry too much about what music people like and don't like, when they should be thinking about how their music program aligns with the mission of the congregation and who will be the right person to shepherd that connection. The 21st century is opening up incredible new opportunities for music programming in UU communities, and the right person will need to be able to capitalize on those opportunities while navigating 21st century challenges as well.

I've spent many weekends with congregations in search for new music leadership, coaching search committees and board leadership, and helping congregations break open their hopes and expectations for the next chapter in music's ministry among them. It's one of the most important decisions a congregation will make, and its effects can last for generations. Let me help you do it well!